Lieutenant Commander RN and RNZN.
In 1936 appointed by the Admiralty to the New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy.
http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=EP19360403.2.73
1936 Lieutenant on HMS Achilles during her maiden visit to NZ
http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=EP19361105.2.94.1
1936 Commander of HMNZS Wakakura
http://www.unithistories.com/officers/RN_officersP.html
1940-1942 Commanding Officer, HMS St Mary's
1942-1944 Commanding Officer, HMS Douglas
(Destroyer, Admiralty Leader class).
On 31st October 1943, under Henry Phibb's command, HMS Douglas sank the German submarine U-732 in the mid-Atlantic near Tangier.
U-732 had been damaged earlier that evening by depth charges and gunfire from HMS Imperialist.
Later that night HMS Douglas illuminated the U-Boat on the surface and opened fire, with several hits observed.
The crew of U-732 were forced to abandon ship and scuttled the U-Boat (31 dead, 18 survivors included the commander, Oblt. Claus-Peter Carlsen)
http://www.uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/4284.html
http://www.fleetwood-trawlers.info/?s=imperialist
1944-1945 Commanding Officer, HMS Vimy
Returned to NZ and RNZN after the war. Retired in 1951, married mid 1950's to Miss FH Fenwick (Helen), the second WREN in NZ (Deputy Director, 1942).
http://www.nzetc.org/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2-1Epi-c2-WH2-1Epi-c.html
Henry and Helen retired to farming and are well known in Warkworth, north of Auckland, as the philanthropists who in the 1970's donated the land on the northern bank of the Mahurangi River, opposite the town, to the Department of Conservation.
http://www.localmatters.co.nz/Mahurangi+Matters/Local+Folk/Helen+Phibbs+-+philanthropist.html
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